INDIANAPOLIS – Kara Erdmann was selected as the Horizon League Defensive Player of the Year as the league announced its postseason awards on Thursday afternoon.
 
Erdmann along with Madi Malone were named to the All-League First Team, while Natalie Schmitz was announced as a member of the second team. Earning a spot on the All-Freshman team was Milica Tomic.
 
Erdmann led all Horizon League student-athletes with 685 digs during the regular season and an average of 5.76 digs per set. In conference-only matches, her digs per set number increased to 6.25 per set, as Milwaukee defensively held league opponents to a conference-leading .161 hitting percentage against.
 
Her dig total and digs per set number are both currently second among all Division I volleyball players, while her 685 digs is now the single-season standard for a Panther defensively. She had nine of the top 18 individual performances in digs in a match this season in the Horizon, including a record-setting league mark of 47 digs against Wright State.
 
No stranger to postseason honors, Malone has established herself as one of the top hitters in both the Horizon League and in Milwaukee history. This season she was fourth in the league with 378 kills, for an average of 3.18 kills per set and in league-only matches, upped her average to 3.49 kills per set.
 
When combining her kills along with her service aces and blocking ability, Malone finished the year with 418.5 total points, while she had the fourth-most points in league matches with 273. In addition to her offensive numbers, Malone contributes on the defensive end and was among the Horizon League leaders in digs with 321 and digs per set at 2.70. For her career, she has 51 double-doubles, and is ranked fifth all-time in Milwaukee history with 1,483 kills
 
Schmitz is yet another hitter that opponents must game-plan for as she finished the 2024 regular season with 330 kills, including 202 of those in league matches. Overall, this year she had 2.89 kills per set and a .223 hitting percentage but stepped up in league play to finish the 20-game league slate at 3.42 kills per set and a .274 hitting percentage. She chipped in defensively with 101 digs and 26 blocks, while adding 27 aces from the service line.
 
Tomic had an impressive first year in the Horizon League with the Panthers, earning a spot on the All-Freshman Team. As a part of Milwaukee's 6-2 offense, Tomic tallied 525 assists for an average of 4.41 per set and bumped the number to 7.92 assists per set in league matches. This year she had 10 double-doubles with her assist and dig totals, finishing the year with 225, and was also one of the team's top servers with 28 aces on the season.
 
This is the second year that the Horizon League has issued a Sportsmanship Award, with Bella Lipski named a finalist.
 
Malone makes it a complete sweep for her career, earning All-League honors in each of her four seasons, including a spot on the First Team as a freshman, junior, and senior. Schmitz earned her first All-League honor following her selection to the All-Freshman Team in 2022. This is the first postseason honor for both Erdmann and Tomic.
 
With her selection as Defensive Player of the Year, Erdmann becomes the third Panther to earn the honor in the history of the award. Lauren Dallenbach earned the league's inaugural Defensive Player of the Year award in 2001 along with Lauren Felsing, who was named the league's top defender in 2009.
 
Earning Player of the Year honors was Panna Ratkai of Purdue Fort Wayne, as she also earned Offensive Player of the Year. In addition, the Mastodons had Riley Rosneck selected as Freshman of the Year and Nicole Jones win the Sportsmanship Award. Wright State received the final two individual awards as Lauren Yacobucci was named Setter of the Year and head coach Travers Green earned Coach of the Year accolades.
 
Milwaukee will begin postseason play on Saturday evening, when the team takes part in the Horizon League Championship Semifinals at 5:00 p.m. (CT). The Panthers will take on Cleveland State, Green Bay, or Purdue Fort Wayne, dependent upon the result of the quarterfinal round on Friday.
 

All-League First Team Nia Hall, Cleveland State Liberty Torres, Cleveland State Emma Walker, Cleveland State Katie Schulz, Green Bay Morgan Ostrowski, IU Indianapolis Grace Purichia, IU Indianapolis Kara Erdmann, Milwaukee Madi Malone, Milwaukee Panna Ratkai, Purdue Fort Wayne Sam Ott, Wright State Lauren Yacobucci, Wright State Reilly Zegunis, Wright State

All-League Second Team Calli Gentry, Green Bay Natalie Schmitz, Milwaukee Joy Banks, Northern Kentucky Emily Wichmann, Oakland Jenny Wessling, Wright State Abbie Householder, Youngstown State

All-Freshman Team Allana Appleby, Cleveland State Diane Pichelman, Green Bay Milica Tomic, Milwaukee Allison Risley, Northern Kentucky Riley Rosneck, Purdue Fort Wayne Haley Robinson, Wright State Katie Sowko, Wright State

Sportsmanship Award Finalists Addie Evans, IU Indianapolis Bella Lipski, Milwaukee Ivey Stocks, Northern Kentucky Nicole Jones, Purdue Fort Wayne * Elena Dubuc, Wright State Maria Insana, Youngstown State